Differences between WebI and Crystal Reports?

	Crystal Reports	Web Intelligence
Data Source	Crystal Reports can use universes or access a database directly.	Web Intelligence can only use universes.
Prompts	Report data not necessarily must be filtered by the prompt value. Prompts’ Lists of Values can be defined in the report. Default value can be calculated.	Prompts within reports must be used for filtration of data (this restriction can be overcome but some tricks must be used). Lists of values are based on the database values. Customized or calculated lists of values require placing prompt into Universe (which means universe customization)
Layout	Many tools are available for work with layout  (rulers, guidelines). It is also very flexible because formulas can be used for determining position of the fields, suppression of rows etc. Especially good for working with single table reports. If report has more than one table, sub reports must be used which might affect performance	Web Intelligence is not flexible and it is difficult (sometimes impossible) to get precise layout, very difficult to get flexibility based on parameters (e.g. showing dynamic number of columns). Not a problem to place more than one table within the report.
Viewing	Reports can be viewed and scheduled in Infoview	Reports can be viewed and scheduled in Infoview
Development Time	It takes longer to develop simple report in Crystal Reports than Web Intelligence, but complex reports development time is more predictable (no need to invent tricks). It is easier to implement complex logic.	Simple reports can be developed on fly if there is an intuitive universe. It takes a lot of time to develop a report based on a complex universe (to overcome restrictions of the tool). For complex reports it is sometimes easier to develop a customized universe especially for the report and put all logic in this universe.
Users	Office employees who have to report in the same form (with some deviations which can be handled by parameters) or management for some standard reports or analytical reports (if manager’s are not technically qualified to build Webi reports or universe is too complex for understanding)	Top management and executives, who use report for decision making (not for daily scheduled standard reports), want to make ad-hoc analysis, dig into data and decide what data they prefer to see in the report when they build it.
Notifications	Crystal Reports can send an e-mail to users based on alerts, when report data meets some condition (e.g. if profit less than 0)	The similar option is not available
Export formats	XLS, PDF, CSV, TTX, RTF, HTML, XML	XLS, PDF, CSV
Upgrade and recovery	If a report is based on database directly (not using universe), upgrade can affect report only if database structure was changed. It is easy to remap fields though, which means that report can be recovered anyway	Universe changes may affect a report if an object used by the report is deleted. Sometimes it can be difficult or impossible to recover reports if the original universe was modified or removed by mistake.
Primary Function	Operational Reporting	Query and Analysis
Report Author	IT, Developer	Business User, Data Analyst
Report Consumer	Information Consumers	Information Analysts
Report Design Tool	Win32 Desktop Client	Web Based, Desktop Rich Client
Formatting	Precise, Pixel perfect formatting	Basic Formatting
Typical Uses	·         Operational Reporting ·         Pre-built report templates ·         High volume publishing ·         Predictable Questions	·         Ad-hoc Query and Analysis ·         Self –service reporting ·         Unpredictable questions